Combing machine



June 4, 1940. J. w. NAsMlTH COMBING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Oct'. 8, 1937 [22 ven 01'.'- WM f4( BJ His om June 4, 1940.

J. w. NAsMlTH 2,202,816 y COMBING MACHINE Fild oct. 841937 2 sheets-sheet 2 ,aff 5.9 '5T gio- 35 "I 56 l 19 l5' hn-,

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h l mnnnnigmg u In ven forflll Patented June 4, 1940 PATENT OFFICE COMBING MACHINE John William Nasmith, Heaton Mersey, i

Manchester, England Application October 8, 1937, Serial No. 167,879 In Great Britain January 16, 1937 4 Claims. (Cl. 19-121) The present invention relates to combing machines for textile fibres.

In the specification of British Letters Patent No. 16,001 of 1901 granted to me there are described and shown two detaching rollers of which one, the upper detaching roller, rolls to and fro upon the other, the lower detaching roller, which rotates in fixed bearings. Having rolled to the backward position the upper detaching roller directs the fleece, which is being returned for piecing, against the revolving combing cylinder, which strokes it down around the periphery of the lower detaching roller. The forward roll of the upper detaching roller carries it clear of the advancing nipper.

The machine constructed according to the prior specification referred to-the now well-known Nasmith comber-gave a great increase in production compared with the earlier Heilmann comber, but the length of,l fleece returned or backed off against the revolving combing cylinder is nevertheless limited and as, to make a good piecing, this length must be a little over hali:` the length of the: detached tuft, the length of the latter, and consequently the production of the machine, are correspondingly limited. If more than a well defined length oi fleece is returned or backed off the cylinder sweeps away good fibre as waste, and even when such length is restricted v to practical limits there is a small but perceptible loss in this way.

The object of the present invention is to provide in combing machines of the type of that shown in the Patent Specification No. 16,001 of 1901 a simple construction and arrangement of parts whereby production of the machine will be considerably increased and whereby further the loss of good bre referred to above will be altogether avoided. With this object in view the invention comprises a pair of detaching rollers so arranged and operating in relation to the combing cylinder that the upper detaching roller will, prior to the end of the fleece beingbacked off for p-iecing, roll downwardly behind the lower detaching roller, the latter being bodily moved away from the combing cylinder to allow of this rollingmovement of the upper detaching roller. The nip point of the two rollers is thus positively moved away from the cylinder to an extent sufcient to direct the end of the eece, when backed 01T, clear of such cylinder. This downward movement of the upper detaching roller may in fact continue to such an extent in relation to the lower detaching roller that the outwardly moved nipv'point will direct the backed off end of the-A fleece away from the cylinder. Increase of length of the returned end of fleece, and increase of length of the detached tuft to be pieced thereon, with consequent increase of production of the combing machine, are thus rendered practical.

In carrying out the invention the operation of the upper detaching roller of No. 16,001 of 1901, in co-operation with the lower detaching roller, is as described in that specification, that is to say, when the upper detaching roller has revolved backwardly and the end of the fleece is backed 01T for piecing, the said upper detaching roller rolls forwardly before the advancing machine nipper and again rolls backwardly, and as the piecing is effected, the separation is made. The requirements of this my present invention are satisfied by any form of apparatus which will permit of this sequence of operations being carried out whilst allowing for bodily withdrawal of the lower detaching roller and its return to piecing point in such a manner that the full length of backed off end of fleece is present at such point for the piecing and allowing also for the falling of the upper detaching roller behind the lower detaching roller as the. latter recedes from the combing cylinder. Preferably, the roller pressure necessary in the detaching operation is applied to the upper detaching roller during the detaching period only, and is removed when the upper detaching roller falls behind the lower roller, sufficient pressure being retained to keep the two rollers in contact during their relative movement. A convenient method of applying this variable pressure will be hereinafter fully described. The invention will now be described for a full understanding of the same as carried out with a very convenient and practical assembly of parts, which is shown in the drawings annexed. In these drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are partial sections through one head of a combing machine, all the mechanical parts being duplicated at the other side of the head; Figure 3 is a partial plan of some of the parts shown in Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the position of the detaching rollers at the commencement of detaching. The views of Figures 1 and 2 are identical except that Figure 2 shows the detaching rollers in the backing ofi position, and therefore for clarity some of the mechanical details of Figure 1 are omitted from this Figure 2.

The lower detaching roller D and a pair of transporting rollers C C are carried in a bearing I secured by bolt 2 t0 the bridge connecting a pair of legs 3, one of which isy seen in Figures 1 and 2. The legs 3 are pivoted upon a stud ll, a screw 5 permitting adjustment of the height of roller D. Each leg carries xed therein a pin 6, linked by a rod 1 to a swivel 1a which swivels upon a pin 8 xed in a lever 9 which is keyed upon shaft I0. The movement of this shaft I is controlled in the usual manner by a suitably shaped cam in the headstock of the machine, and reciprocating movement is thus imparted to the bearing I. A shaft II also operated by cam means in the headstock is carried in a bearing block I2 fixed on the frame stand, and this bearing block I2 serves also to carry a fixed stud I3. Upon the shaft II is keyed a lever I4 and to this lever is adjustably secured an arm I5 by bolt I6. The screws in the lugs Ida cast on I4 serve to make this adjustment and align roller d' with D. The upper end of the arm I5 has securely fixed therein the stud I1, and lever I8 is formed with an open slot in which engages the stud I1 as seen in Figures 1 and 2. One end of the lever I8 carries a bearing for the end pivots of the upper detaching roller d', and the other end is drilled and receives the bolt B to be hereinafter more fully referred to, and withdrawal of which bolt B allows the lever I8 and the roller d to be removed easily from the machine. On the stud I1 hinges the bracket I9 which is formed with a turned boss Figure 3 on which pivots the forked spring lever 2I, and the bolt B serves to lock lever I8 and bracket I9 together. The spring lever 2l has formed upon it a projection 22 which passes over the squared end of the bolt B and keeps it(the bolt B) in position when working. In the squared end of the bolt B is fitted the set screw 36.

Describing now the spring assembly shown t'o the left of Figures 1 and 2, and which has for object the application of variable pressure to the upper detaching roller d according to its position and movements, the forked end of spring lever 2I embraces a block 23 through which passes freely the end of rod 24. Surrounding the rod 24 is the strong spiral spring 25, which abuts as to its upper end against the block 23 and as to its lower end against the block 26 adjustable upon the rod 24. The latter is pivoted at its lower end on the pin 21 xed in the lever 28 which itself pivots on a pin 2S fixed in the framing of the machine. Upon the pin I3 is pivoted the latch 30 which by its slot as shown engages upon the pin 21 of lever 28 and thus in normal circumstances maintains the latter and the spring parts in working position. The lever 3l also pivoted on pin I3 bears a stud 32 which receives the lower end of the rod 33 around which is fitted the light spiral spring Srl abutting against the underside of the bracket I9, and as to its lower end against the block 34a adjustable upon rod 33. A link 35 which connects pins 32 and 21 serves to release both springs 25 and 34 when the removal of the lever I8 and roller d is necessary for rcvarnishing and replacement by a fresh roller. For such disassembly, when the latch 30 is lifted the lever 20 may be turned over t'o the left, pivoting on the stud 29 and bringing pin with it. As soon as check nuts 31 contact with the block 23 the spring is dead and the forked lever 2l can be pulled down until the projection 22 is clear of the bolt B, which can then be Withdrawn. This turning over of lever 28 also pulls over the lever 3l and through the link 35 removes the pressure of the spring 34 on the bracket I9. The bolt B being withdrawn from the lever I8, the open slot permits the removal of I8 and the roller d.

In the operation of the machine, during the detaching, the roller D remains in the position shown in Figures l and 4 whilst the upper roller d', as described in the Patent Specification No. 16,001 of 1901, rolls round D away from the advancing nipper, indicated at N, from the position of Figure 4 to that of Figure 1. The nipper N withdraws and the separation is made, leaving the rear end of the detached fleece as seen at T, Figure l. At this point the mechanism enters into operation from shaft I0 to withdraw the bearing I and thus the lower detaching roller D, with the transporting rollers C C', away from the combing cylinder Y from the position of Figure 1 to that of Figure 2, whilst the upper detaching roller d', controlled from shaft II by the pin I1 and lever IB, falls down behind the roller D until its centre is level with or slightly below that Of such roller D, and the rear end of the detached fleece lies as shown at T2, Figure 2. A little before the roller D has reached its outward position as shown in Figure 2 its direction of rotation is reversed in the direction of the arrow shown in that gure. It remains for a moment in its extreme outward position and during this short dwell the backing off of the end of iieece, which has been commenced during its outward movement, is completed or nearly so, and the fleece assumes the position indicated by the extended dotted line T3, well away from the cylinder cover 38. The rollers then resume the position shown in Figure 4 and the operation recommences.

The bodily movements of the upper detaching roller d are freely permitted by the fact that it is borne in the lever I8 which pivots upon pin I1 if which has motion around the axis of shaft II, Figures 1 and 3. During these movements the pressure upon the said upper detaching roller d is controlled by the springs in the manner now to be described.

When the roller d is passing from the position of Figure 4 to that of Figure 1 and back again the spring 25 is compressed and the nuts 31 are pushed off the block 23. When however the roller d begins to fall from the position i shown in Figure 4 to that shown in Figure 2 the outer end of lever 2l rises and the block 23 makes contact with the nuts 31. Thereupon the screw 36 leaves the lever 2l. Only the slight pressure of the spring 34 is now exerted on the i;

roller d tokeep it in contact with the roller D. When the roller d rises again from its position as shown in Figure 2 and approaches that of Figure 4 the adjusting screw 35 again makes contact with the lever 2| and forces it from contact i' with the nuts 31, again bringing into play the greater pressure of spring 25.

A screw 39 is shown in the upper end of the arm I5. This is a safety screw which will prevent the roller d at any time falling too low behind the roller D, and it is normally never in action.

I claim:

In a machine of the rectilinear type for the the combing of textile fibres, in which machine an end of already combed fleece is returned by roller means for the piecing up thereto of a combed fibre tuft, a reciprocating machine nipper, a single pair of rollers, lower and upper,

which effect both the detaching of a fibre tuft and the piecing thereof upon an end of already combed fleece returned for such piecing, means for rolling the upper roller to and fro upon the lower roller during detaching and piecing as thc reciprocating machine nipper advances to and AIl) recedes from the nip point of the rollers, means for reciprocating the lower roller only from and to the detaching and piecing point only in the interval between the completion of a detaching and piecing operation and the commencement of the next such operation, and bearings for the upper roller which permit the fall of the upper roller behind the lower roller as the latter moves away from the detaching and piecing point' and as a result of such movement, until the two rollers are in substantially horizontal alinement -for the backing off of an end of comb-ed fleece for the next piecing, and permit the return of the upper roller to detaching and piecing position on back reciprocation of the lower roller.

2. In a machine of the rectilinear type for the combing of textile fibres, in which machine an end of already combed fleece is returned by roller means for the piecing up thereto of a combed fibre tuft, a reciprocating machine nipper, a single pair of rollers, lower and upper, which eiect both the detaching of a fibre tuft and the piecing thereof upon an end of already combed iieece returned for such piecing, means for rolling the upper roller to and fro upon the lower roller during detaching and piecing as the machine nipper advances to and recedes from the nip point of the rollers, means for horizontally reciprocating the lower roller only from and to the detaching and piecing point only in the interval between the completion of a detaching and piecing operation and the commencement of the next such operation, bearings for the upper roller which permit the fall of the upper roller behind the lower roller as the latter moves away from the detaching and piecing point and as a result of such movement, until the two rollers are in substantially horizontal alinement for the backing off of an end of combed fleece for the next piecing and permit the return of the upper roller to detaching and piecing position, on back reciprocation of the lower roller, means for applying pressure to the upper roller during each detaching and piecing period, and means for releasing such pressure and applying a lesser pressure to the said upper roller as it per, which effect both the detaching of a combed bre tut and the piecing of the same upon a returned end of already combed fleece, pivoted levers carrying the bearings of the upper roller, horizontally reciprocated arms on which the lever pivots are borne, with resultant reciprocating rolling movement.A of the upper roller upon the lower roller during detaching and piecing,

and means for reciprocating the bearings ofthe lower roller only, and only in the interval between the completion of a detaching and piecing operation and the commencement of the next such operation from and towards the detaching and piecing point, the pivoted levers carrying the upper roller bearings being free to fall with the said roller, as the lower roller moves away from the detaching and piecing pointv and as a result of such movement, until both rollers are in substantially horizontal alinement, and free to rise as the lower roller returns to detaching and piecing position.

4. In a machine of the rectilinear type for the combing of textile fibres, in which machine an end of already combed fleece is returned by roller means for the piecing up thereto of a combed iibre tuft, a reciprocating machine nipper, a single pair of rollers, lower and upper, which effect both the detaching of a combed iibre tuft and the piecing of the same upon a returned end of already combed iieece, pivoted 2 levers carrying the bearings of the upper roller, reciprocating means on which the lever pivots are borne, with resultant reciprocating rolling movement of the upper roller upon the lower roller during detaching and piecing, means for reciprocating the bearings of the lower roller only, and only in the interval between the completion of a detaching and piecing operation and the commencement of the next such operation, from and towards the detaching and piecing point, the pivoted levers carrying the upper roller bearings being free to fall with the said roller, as the lower roller moves away from the combing cylinder and as a result of such movement, until both rollers are in substantially horizontal alinement, and free to rise as the lower roller returns to detaching and piecing position; strong compression springs compressed by the pivoted levers when the upper roller is in detaching and piecing position, limiting stops upon the springs, and weaker compression springs acting upon the pivoted levers as the upper roller falls behind the withdrawn lower roller.

JOHN WILLIAM NASMITH. 

